| The line between average and exceptional work | | | | questions and inform me, his new boss. But he |
| performance is dotted with ordinary day-by-day | | | | never did. Jeff managed to train me to follow up |
| behaviors. I was reminded of that line recently. My | | | | to his "I don't know," with "please find out and tell |
| husband was explaining to a nurse how he'd | | | | me." |
| inadvertently taken the last dose of the live | | | | Jeff worked for me for two years and at the |
| typhoid virus on the wrong day and wondered if | | | | time I moved on, I was still asking him to find out. |
| he needed to retake the sequence prior to our | | | | For Jeff and people like Jeff, "I don't know" is a |
| Africa trip. "No," she commented, "I think you'll be | | | | habitual way to reduce their task list. To them, "I |
| fine." We both knew she was guessing. | | | | don't know" ends it. What they don't realize is |
| While rolling down my sleeve from the next set | | | | what else it ends in the minds of their bosses, |
| of immunizations, a different nurse poked her | | | | clients or customers. |
| head into the room. "I overheard your | | | | It baffles me that someone thinks saying "I don't |
| conversation at the desk." she said to Dan. | | | | know" suffices when it involves their work |
| "We've never had that situation, so I thought it | | | | responsibilities. It baffles me how frequently |
| best to call the drug manufacturer for advice. | | | | people offer their best guesses like factual |
| Turns out you need to retake the entire dosage." | | | | answers. And it baffles me, in my twenty years |
| We were grateful she took the extra step. | | | | in management, how surprisingly few people took |
| It's not possible to know all the answers to all the | | | | the small step to find out. Those who did stood |
| questions you'll get tossed in the workplace. But, | | | | out. They went from guessing to knowing. Find |
| be willing to say when you don't. That's better | | | | out answers and you'll build knowledge that |
| than giving out misinformation or guessing at an | | | | differentiates you. |
| answer without making it clear it's a guess. People | | | | Want to be winning at working? Stop guessing; |
| who are winning at working add four words - "but | | | | start knowing. The next time you find yourself |
| I'll find out." And they do find out and get back to | | | | venturing a guess on an important answer, pause. |
| the person. That extra step differentiates their | | | | Then reframe your response with, "I don't know |
| performance in the workplace. | | | | for sure, but I'll find out for you." Not only will you |
| Jeff was already in the department when I was | | | | be adding to your knowledge base, but when you |
| hired to manage it. "I don't know" was his typical | | | | find out and follow up with the person, you'll be |
| response when queried beyond the surface status | | | | building your credibility and crossing an important |
| reports of his projects. At first, I expected Jeff | | | | performance line. |
| to automatically find out the answers to my | | | | (c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved. |